The Lovely Escapist

I recently started following  Angie aka «THE LOVELY ESCAPIST», and from the first photo to the last one, I was very impressed by the unique places she has been to.

If you do not know her, and want to know more about her adventures, check this out!

 

1.- Are you originally from Arizona? Have you ever lived in another country? If you could live anywhere, where would you choose and why?

I was born and raised in Arizona and have actually never lived anywhere else. However, I am definitely open to the possibility of living abroad for a couple months.

 

I think long term I want to stay in Arizona. Since I grew up here, I am very attached. My family lives within a ten-mile radius from one another, I graduated from the University of Arizona, and my photography clientele is based here. Also, in the past couple years, I have really begun to explore Arizona and found it to be the perfect place for an adventurous soul. It is so diverse, with beautiful desert landscapes, rivers both large and small, pine tree forests, snow covered mountains, the Grand Canyon, amazing rock formations like Antelope Canyon and Monument Valley, waterfalls, beautiful lakes, and it is only 1 hour from beaches in Mexico. Arizona really just has it all.

 

2.- You recently reached 10k followers. Did you ever imagined getting this many in such a short period of time?

I honestly had NO idea I was going to grow so quickly on Instagram. When I started, my goal was to have 3k followers by the end of the year. When I hit 3k in March, I was so shocked and changed my goal to 10k followers. Now that I have over 10k, I am shooting for 25k followers by the end of the year. I am really just so overwhelmed and grateful for all the support I receive. I cannot wait to see how far The Lovely Escapist will go!

 

3.- Have you ever thought about starting a traveling blog?

I am actually in the process of creating a website and blog right now. Fingers crossed I will be able to launch it at the beginning of July! Stay tuned!

 

4.- What are some of the activities you enjoy during your spare time?

I LOVE Netflix. Probably a little too much. There actually have been times where I sit down to watch something new and there really is not anything ‘new’ to watch. I would go so far as to say I am a Netflix addict.

 

I also really enjoy hiking (when it is not 100 degrees Fahrenheit), working out, laying by the pool, and painting.

5.- Have you ever had any bad traveling experiences?

I only have one. In 2007, I was heading home with my mom from a one month European trip. I remember feeling a little sick the night before but figured it may pass by morning. However, I woke up feeling even worse. I put on my turquoise sweat suit like a true fashionista and headed to the airport. When we arrived at Heathrow in London, I felt super nauseous. So what did this sick fourteen-year-old do? The answer: Eat a chocolate bar. For a second I felt great. Must have been all that sugar going to my head, tricking me into feeling amazing. But as we were about to go through airport security, my stomach dropped and there was no time! I reached for one of those bins where you place your luggage and began throwing up everywhere. After my very public humiliation, I boarded a plane back to the US which consisted of more nausea, vomiting, and a very high fever. Worst. Travel. Experience. Ever.

6.- What are your traveling plans this year?

My husband and I are going to Cancun, Mexico for the first time this June! While we are there, we plan to snorkel, relax on the beach, and explore Tulum, Coba, Chichen Itza, and many cenotes. Then in November, we are off to Peru for ten days. I am definitely most excited about hiking the Inca trail to Macchu Picchu. It has been at the top of my bucketlist for years and I cannot believe I am finally going to see it!

 

7.- What has traveling taught you?

Traveling has taught me to get out of my comfort zone. It is important when you travel, to experience as much as you can since you never know when you will be back. Sometimes, that means doing something you might be afraid to try i.e. swimming with sharks, bungee jumping, or eating local cuisine. However, once you do those things, you start to realize you can do anything. I know the term YOLO is silly but it is true: You Only Live Once. So live your life to the fullest, try new things, overcome fear, and grow. Traveling forces us to experience the world we live in which in turn, allows us to understand it a little better.

8.- Which travelers have inspired you the most?

There are so many: @thesaltypinnapple, @hbgoodie, @theboldbrunette, @mvandersluis, @lisahomsy. The one who actually inspired me to start my Instagram travel account and create a travel blog is Lauren from @gypsea_lust. Her photos were just so dreamy and filled me with wanderlust. I decided that I wanted to be like her and inspire others to travel the world. Another huge inspiration to me is Xavier and Katie from @xkflyaway. They are travel couple goals! Not only do they post amazing photos but I love following along their day to day lives through their Instagram stories.

 

9.- What is your favorite place so far?

This is a hard question. There are so many things about each and every place I have gone to that I love. I guess if I had to choose, I would pick Exuma, Bahamas. If you love the beach, this is the place to go. The sand was perfect and never before have I seen such clear blue water! I am a little afraid of sharks so being able to see more than 3 feet in the water made Exuma the perfect place for any water activities! During our stay, we went jet skiing, snorkeling with sea turtles, swimming with nurse sharks, and we got to visit an island of full of iguanas and the famous swimming pigs. It was such an amazing experience. I would go back in a heartbeat!

10.- Who do you normally travel with?

Before I was married, I mostly traveled with my family. Now, my travel buddy is my husband, Layton. Traveling with him is always so fun and easy! I think we balance each other out perfectly since he plans the logistics of the trip and I document our adventures when we go. I love traveling with someone because you get to share those wonderful once in a lifetime experiences.

11.- Do you have any advice for aspiring travelers?

Branch out from doing the touristy things. It is easy to only focus on seeing the famous attractions of a city and doing what tourists are supposed to do. However, I think one of the best parts about traveling is finding those cool spots that only the locals know about. They can be restaurants, bars, secret viewpoints, stores, etc. You’ll never know what you’re missing unless you get out of your comfort zone and ask a local. And who knows, the random stranger you meet on the street can become a lifelong friend!

 

I’m pretty sure you are already following «The Lovely Escapist», if not, giver her a follow on Instagram